It is still one of the most hotly debated questions in gaming, even as the level of technology within the industry increases: Which is a better gaming platform, PCs or consoles? This question has long been the subject of many vehement arguments and debates on forums and gaming reviews alike.
On one hand, the PC can always be customized and upgraded, to improve a game’s graphics and gameplay, even add certain qualities and mechanics, and whereas a console will always stay the same, perhaps even be limited by unchanging qualities.
On the other hand, this is probably the exact reason by PCs can also be worse, as something that can be upgraded can also be downgraded too, making the gaming experience perhaps even worse.
Many have taken a very strong side on this question. Mine? It’s that honestly the question does not work at all.
Let’s imagine something for a bit:
We are comparing which of these two objects make a better headrest, a book and a pillow. Now the difference is that a pillow was designed specifically for being a headrest, and everyone identifies it as a headrest, however it cannot be improved or degraded, the amount of quality it gives will stay the same.
In contrast, the book starts out as hard, and uncomfortable. But a book can be built upon; it can be given different things that can change how comfortable it is: You can make it bigger or wider, a fluffy or soft cover can be added to the book, or a metallic cover.
It can either become the worst headrest or the best headrest, perhaps even better than the pillow. But here is the problem: Does it make sense for the book to be judged by its ability as a headrest, even though it is not the primary purpose?
This brings out two problems with comparing PCs to consoles. The first is that can a PC really be judged by a function that is not even its primary function. For example, if an Xbox fails as a games console then it could properly be considered a bad games console, since it does not meet the goal of its main purpose.
But it’s not so easy for PCs, since even if a PC does not work well as a gaming platform, it still functions well in other services, such as work and other forms of media.
The second, and probably the biggest problem with comparing PCs and consoles is that for a PC, it’s not so easy to immediately identify general points about it.
Because every PC is different, based on how much time and money an individual puts into the machine. If the person does not contribute anything, then chances are the gaming experience will be inferior to a console. However if the PC is specifically built to meet the system requirements of nearly any game, then chances are it will be superior to any console.
Nearly every PC is different to each other, and responds to games differently, whereas all consoles under one brand will respond to games in the exact same way. So it does not make any sense to compare PC gaming to console gaming when PC gaming will always have inconsistent results.